world of men's style / fashion / grooming

An UrbanDaddy Publication

Now that everyone we know is instantaneously available, the postcard is getting pretty anachronistic. Luckily, it was never that useful to start with.

These cards embrace the retro vibe square on, borrowing the covers of classic 60s-era Penguin books. With a little cleverness, the former tourist staple becomes an ode to the tangible pleasures left behind in the digital age, whether it’s the dusty paperback, the hand-written missive, or the postal service. Now you just have to remember where you put those stamps…

There are a lot of oddball inspirations out there, but the post office is easily the strangest. It’s the perfect example of the workaday drabness most designers go out of their way to avoid. As a general rule, there’s nothing less glamorous than spending twenty minutes in a cordoned line. (That goes for modern air travel too, if you were wondering.)

But after this envelope/briefcase, we may have to think again. It comes from Postalco, a Brooklyn-meets-Japan marque that takes inspiration from the international transport industry. This particular item subs calfskin in for the usual manila paper for a handleless briefcase that’s both innovative and completely low key. After all, who looks twice at a man carrying a manila envelope?

Storage is always a problem for a well-kempt gentleman of leisure. Ideally, he carries no more than fits in his pockets without bulging. But of course, this fashion rule came into being before the Blackberry, so perhaps it’s time to revise.

Treading just the right line between duffle bag and murse, this leather messenger pack (from J. Crew of all places) adds a retro touch to the standard shoulder bag. That means no nylon or plastic, just hand-stained leather and copper rivets. It’s the sort you might have seen on a mailman’s shoulder in the 60s.